Collins, 35, came out last April in a first-person account for Sports Illustrated. He became the first openly gay active player in the four major American professional leagues when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in February.

“He’s a knucklehead,” Collins told the New York Daily News of the opposing player, who wasn’t identified. “So I just let it go. Again, that goes back to controlling what you can control. That’s how I conduct myself just being professional.”

“This shows that ‘distraction’ is B.S. That it’s about the team, it’s about the sport,” Collins told the Daily News. “I hope this shows all players that you can still have your life off the court and not have to hide anything. And still have your life on the court or on the field or on the ice, I guess, in hockey. That’s a credit to my teammates and the entire Nets organization from ownership to coaching to teammates to everyone.”